Lewis shocked by Conviction praise

Juliette Lewis says she is surprised by the amount of acclaim she's received her her Conviction role

Juliette Lewis has admitted she never expected the acclaim she has received for her performance in Conviction.

The Natural Born Killers star has received Oscar buzz for her brief but gripping role as Roseanna Perry, a character who transforms herself from a high school dropout to a lawyer to win freedom for her wrongly accused brother.

"With this movie, I'm kind of having the time of my life in that I never expected the reception I've been getting for my role, never," she said. "Everything about it has been a joy."

Juliette added she had no regrets about temporarily dropping out of acting to tour with her band, Juliette And The Licks.

"It's sort of when I decide to do something, I'm gonna do it all the way," she said, before adding: "In my head, in my creative heart, I wouldn't have been able to do both."

Juliette said she wasn't concerned about her decision being greeted with derision in some circles.

"In the beginning, they're just curious," she said. "So the expectations are really low. So that was great for me. But then after that you get the people who are really digging what you're doing and your music."

But she said of her return to acting: "I'm in my 30s - I'm not done. I don't want my best work to be behind me in my 20s. I feel like this is a new chapter.

"I have more life experience, I have more confidence in what I'm doing, so I feel like I have more to offer creatively in the world of cinema. But I have to work my way into making myself known again in some circles."